New Eastman Monarch A2 in the "new" warhorse HH

[majormajor1]

I've been buying/collecting/wearing jackets for 25 years or more - US denim and leather - and here is the latest of several Eastman A2s I have owned. I'm not really into the sheepskin stuff - the nearest thing I have to a winter jacket is a vintage Lee Stormrider - but that's another story.

I nearly went for the Werber (Some interesting little details, and I'm a Yorkshireman and it would have saved me around £150....) but in the end I plumped for the Monarch. I spent a little time on the phone and email with Allen and Gary, discussing sizing - this HAD to be right for me.

Placed the order on the Monday at around lunchtime, and at 9.00am on the Wednesday, the lovely Eastman box was in my hand - I make that around 45 hours! Not bad.... I can understand why you folks not in the UK would perhaps choose other makers - shipping, duties etc., but I'm 60 years old now - I can't afford a year's wait!

Anyhow, out of the box, the jacket looked just as I expected, but I always get a shock when I see a new Repro - SO flat and shiny!

I wore it like that for a couple of days, just to break it in a little, and then gave it some mild HWT. The results, after about 6 weeks or so of regular wear, are below. The fit is everything Gary promised it would be. A couple of these pics are elsewhere on the site, but I thought it would be cohesive to have them all together

BTW, I would say the second pic captures the colour the best.

 

[Steve27752]

I have to say that I like it a lot. I am a great ELC fan and have been buying from them since the mid '80s.
Enjoy your A2

 

[majormajor1]

I have to say that I like it a lot. I am a great ELC fan and have been buying from them since the mid '80s.
Enjoy your A2

Yup. Me Too. Bought my first one in around '86. The sizing was all over the place, but the detailing - Talon zips, throat latches, cotton lining etc., all were in place. No one else was doing that back then. Where would we all be without the early Eastmans???

 

[oldskoolonly]

Thats a fantastic looking jacket!!

 

[Clyde from Carolina]

Breaking in nicely! Love the hide on that jacket.

 

[majormajor1]

Breaking in nicely! Love the hide on that jacket.

Cheers Clyde.

Yours will be the same very soon. We should meet up in a year's time and compare Monarch hides!!

 

[Roughwear]

Your Monarch is looking like a worn original now and has more grain than my original!

 

[TankBuster]

Yes, a very nice jacket indeed. The new hide they are using looks great!

 

[johnwayne]

Just what does consisit of 'mild HWT? I've read in these discusssions so many times about you guys doing what appears to be 'disresepcting' your loved jackets and I know we all want our new jackets to look old and original like but it almost seems sacriledge to me to dunk a new buy in hot water!!
I've a 1401 ELC that I had for some years that still looks a little too 'crisp' likewise an Aero M442a that actually stands up on its own(!) cos's its a stiff/thick leather and wouldnt mind trying to soften/vintage-ise them both. What exactly do you do 'cos the last thing I'd want is to shrink them, rather the opposite on the M442a albeit I know that style should fit trim.

I'm sure its been covered numerous times but I'm thinking serously about joining the hot water club if I can sum up the courage!!!

Cheers Gents

Wayne

 

[269sqnhudson]

Yes, a very nice jacket indeed. The new hide they are using looks great!

Am I the only one who thinks it has worn too quickly? It's six weeks old and looks six years old :? . I appreciate totally that we all have different ideas about what we want but I really hope Eastman don't start using the new hides all across the line, I really do think the finish is not up to the use it would have got in the war. I don't think it's fit for purpose.

I have a Cable with a slightly hardier finish and may look at a Goatskin ELC house style next as they haven't moved to the newer hide. I've had loads of ELCs and others over the years and hope the stronger finishes haven't been too marginalised. After all, thousands of original pics show jackets in use with less wear than that near new jacket.

Is it just me? ( )

 

[cmk-2]

Your jacket looks GREAT! Really looks the part. I have seen the new Monarch's in person and I LOVE them. I have an old Eastman Monarch it has alot of grain but not the depth in the finish the new HH has. I'm waiting for the new Star and when Gary get the new 1401 together. Here I thought I would never purchase another repo A-2. I thought having a Eastman,GW and a Buzz would do it. Oh well what's money...

 

[majormajor1]

I really do think the finish is not up to the use it would have got in the war. I don't think it's fit for purpose.

Hi 269.
You are perfectly entitled to that view. But please bear in mind that is the look I wanted - and I know how to do it. The jacket isn't heavily worn - it just looks that way. HWT (as others have said on here) simply accelerates the grain popping out - something that would normally take some time to happen. But it does not wear out the jacket in any way. I've done this before to other jackets, and believe me, they will stand any of the punishment a leather jacket would be likely to get for many years.

Essentially, all I do is spray hot(ish) water on the jacket (avoiding, if possible, the wool/cotton areas) and then wear the jacket until it dries (I wouldn't recommend going out on a winters day!). Resist ALL temptations to take it off before it is dry!

Jackets in Wartime would have often got drenched, and thus popped the grain - all the hot water does is again accelerate that natural process. Obviously, an original jacket worn in a theatre of war where they didn't get so much rain would not look so grainy.

It would be a sad world if we all liked exactly the same thing. If you like your jackets with a pristiner look - that's cool - each to his own. I wear my jacket in homage to those guys who left the relatively safe shores of the USA in 1943, and came over to the UK to fly daylight missions over Europe. Not only did those guys risk their necks for us folks in the UK, but they got rained and snowed on by UK weather! So that's what I want my jacket to look like. If you don't - don't use HWT

 

[269sqnhudson]

I really do think the finish is not up to the use it would have got in the war. I don't think it's fit for purpose.

Not only did those guys risk their necks for us folks in the UK, but they got rained and snowed on by UK weather!

I'm in the UK too.

My comment is more general. I've been collecting for 13 years so I'm familiar with hot water treatments and various personal preferences.
My point is that Eastman have been using the new warhorse more and more and having had a few samples and seen the jackets after a relatively small amount of wear I think the finish is too fragile. My RW and Monarch swatches both bled colour badly when slightly damp. I don't think this is good enough. I actually just emailed them and asked if they will stil have a slightly more robust option in years to come. I hope they do because, like you say, we have different tastes so the guys who like them to look 60 years old in 5 minutes shouldn't be the only ones they cater for and it really is becoming like that.

T

 

[majormajor1]

My RW and Monarch swatches both bled colour badly when slightly damp. I don't think this is good enough.

Gotta say I haven't encountered that. And my jacket has sure been damp!

Gary Eastman is, I am sure, trying to keep his business profitable by giving his customers what they want. As long as there are folks like your good self who want less grainy leather, he would be a fool to not cater for you guys.

 

[rich]

I wear my jacket in homage to those guys who left the relatively safe shores of the USA in 1943, and came over to the UK to fly daylight missions over Europe. Not only did those guys risk their necks for us folks in the UK, but they got rained and snowed on by UK weather! So that's what I want my jacket to look like.

I think your jacket looks tremendous. The timeframe of the ageing process seems irrelevant to me, so long as it's done well. But hopefully the manufacturers will continue to offer choice.
BTW, here's a small memorial I saw last year, Brits will know they're to be found over many parts of the UK. While no force on earth can compensate for the loss of these men - and so many like them - I hope that, if they knew, they would be pleased they are not forgotten.

 

[269sqnhudson]

My RW and Monarch swatches both bled colour badly when slightly damp. I don't think this is good enough.

Gotta say I haven't encountered that. And my jacket has sure been damp!

Gary Eastman is, I am sure, trying to keep his business profitable by giving his customers what they want. As long as there are folks like your good self who want less grainy leather, he would be a fool to not cater for you guys.

I do wonder if I got bad samples actually because you're not the first to say that damp hasn't had an effect. Also, it's not the grain at all, grainy is good, so is wrinkly! It's premature wear and tear I don't really go for.

 

[majormajor1]

I wear my jacket in homage to those guys who left the relatively safe shores of the USA in 1943, and came over to the UK to fly daylight missions over Europe. Not only did those guys risk their necks for us folks in the UK, but they got rained and snowed on by UK weather! So that's what I want my jacket to look like.

I think your jacket looks tremendous. The timeframe of the ageing process seems irrelevant to me, so long as it's done well. But hopefully the manufacturers will continue to offer choice.
BTW, here's a small memorial I saw last year, Brits will know they're to be found over many parts of the UK. While no force on earth can compensate for the loss of these men - and so many like them - I hope that, if they knew, they would be pleased they are not forgotten.

Excellent stuff. Unfortunately, I live in an area of the UK that had no airfields in WW2, so I rarely see these. Thanks for posting

 

[Marv]

Sorry for highjacking the thread slightly but we are on the subject of USAAF memorial plates, I'd just thought I would briefly share one of mine.

I recently attended a friends wedding, back in September last year, in Sudbury Suffolk and just outside the town was the remains of USAAF Station 174 - 486th Bombardment Group (Heavy) airfield.

The hangers still remain but are now used by a haulage company also the perimeter track and the airfield/grounds are the property of Suffolk County Council.

However I managed to sneak onto the airfield early on a Sunday morning to have a quick look and take some pics but sadly the only area I could get in was at the haulage company's enterance so couldn't actually get to the hangers but managed to take some pics of what remains of the runway etc.

I have include the wartime aerial shot of the airfield and the pics were taken at the end of the S/SE runway as indicated on the photo (current day aerial photo can be seen clearly on Google Earth) looking across the to NW of the runway.

See what you think............

 

[majormajor1]

Your jacket looks GREAT! Really looks the part. I have seen the new Monarch's in person and I LOVE them. I have an old Eastman Monarch it has alot of grain but not the depth in the finish the new HH has. I'm waiting for the new Star and when Gary get the new 1401 together. Here I thought I would never purchase another repo A-2. I thought having a Eastman,GW and a Buzz would do it. Oh well what's money...

Must admit, I like the look of the Star. Much darker HH than the Monarch. Or should I go the other way, and get a Werber in the "old" Warhorse?? Hmmmmm :? :?

 

[Roughwear]

There were significant variations in the hides used by the different original makers of A2s. I own those which are relatively smooth with a few areas of grain and others which are much grainier all over. The ELC 1933 Werber is my favourite ELC A2, and yes I do like the new Monarch and Star. The hh on my Werber is almost identical to that on one of my original 1940 Aeros. It will be interesting to see how the latest ELC Italian hh wears with time.